Meal 116 - December 29th - Avo and Crispy Pancetta
Yesterday's shopping trip (well more of a pub trip actually with a quick diversion to Waitrose) may have yielded all the required ingredients for the pork taco meal, but sadly my luck ran out for this, my final breakfast. Normally it's avocado which proves to be my downfall but today it was pancetta that was nowhere to be found. Shame because it seems to be a fairly crucial component here.
Showing posts with label bacon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bacon. Show all posts
29 Dec 2013
14 Jul 2013
Mexican BLT, Chillies, Guacamole and Salad
Meal 57 - July 14th - Mexican BLT, Chillies, Guacamole and Salad
Although not an academic superstar, I did gain some renown at university, amongst my flat mates at least, for my sandwich making ability. My repertoire was not huge - in fact it only contained one sandwich: a double decker featuring three slices of toasted bread smothered in (probably full fat) mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, bacon and chunks of chicken. There may have been some cheese in there on occasion. It was neither healthy nor refined but was great for a hangover and at one point I decided once I graduate I would show off my cooking skills by opening an establishment called Big G's Pie Shack. Unfortunately though, probably due to my limited sandwich repertoire, not to mention my lack of pie making ability, the venture never got off the ground.
Although not an academic superstar, I did gain some renown at university, amongst my flat mates at least, for my sandwich making ability. My repertoire was not huge - in fact it only contained one sandwich: a double decker featuring three slices of toasted bread smothered in (probably full fat) mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, bacon and chunks of chicken. There may have been some cheese in there on occasion. It was neither healthy nor refined but was great for a hangover and at one point I decided once I graduate I would show off my cooking skills by opening an establishment called Big G's Pie Shack. Unfortunately though, probably due to my limited sandwich repertoire, not to mention my lack of pie making ability, the venture never got off the ground.
20 Jan 2013
Steak, Liver and Bacon, Bubble & Squeak Mash, Red Onion Gravy
Meal 7 - 19th Jan - Steak, Liver and Bacon, Bubble & Squeak Mash, Red Onion Gravy
Liver. Conjures up memories of overcooked school dinners and mother's cooking, which is not a good thing. To be honest I have pretty much avoided offal in general for most of my life so it was with a certain amount of trepidation that I began meal 7. And with the snow pelting down I wasn't exactly enthusiastic about hitting the shops. But, with the promise of a post-shopping pint, and remembering the enriching experience of last weeks trip to the market, we set out nonetheless.
Our first destination was Dickenson's Butchers, highly recommended by other middle-class types. We bought a good hunk of fillet steak, a large pack of streaky bacon, a slab of calves liver and some lamb mince (for tomorrow's meal - it's all about the pre-planning) all for less than £12. Most of the remaining ingredients came from the Lebanese supermarket we discovered last week.
The cooking of the dish is relatively straightforward. After a few minutes, I had the steak frying, the potatoes and sprouts boiling away and the gravy on the go, and had nothing to do. I even considered tidying up the work surface but dismissed the idea (Lolz loves tidying up after me). Once the steak was cooked to what I thought was approximately medium rare, I began on the liver. Having never cooked it before it was mostly guesswork and it did arguably come out overcooked. All in all though, the final dish was comfort food at it's finest and I will certainly be looking to refine my liver cooking skills at some point in the future. The gravy was deeeelish.
Lolz gave the dish 8/10. Thought the steak was somewhat superfluous and wanted more veg! Difficulty rating 5/10.
Liver. Conjures up memories of overcooked school dinners and mother's cooking, which is not a good thing. To be honest I have pretty much avoided offal in general for most of my life so it was with a certain amount of trepidation that I began meal 7. And with the snow pelting down I wasn't exactly enthusiastic about hitting the shops. But, with the promise of a post-shopping pint, and remembering the enriching experience of last weeks trip to the market, we set out nonetheless.
Our first destination was Dickenson's Butchers, highly recommended by other middle-class types. We bought a good hunk of fillet steak, a large pack of streaky bacon, a slab of calves liver and some lamb mince (for tomorrow's meal - it's all about the pre-planning) all for less than £12. Most of the remaining ingredients came from the Lebanese supermarket we discovered last week.
The cooking of the dish is relatively straightforward. After a few minutes, I had the steak frying, the potatoes and sprouts boiling away and the gravy on the go, and had nothing to do. I even considered tidying up the work surface but dismissed the idea (Lolz loves tidying up after me). Once the steak was cooked to what I thought was approximately medium rare, I began on the liver. Having never cooked it before it was mostly guesswork and it did arguably come out overcooked. All in all though, the final dish was comfort food at it's finest and I will certainly be looking to refine my liver cooking skills at some point in the future. The gravy was deeeelish.
Lolz gave the dish 8/10. Thought the steak was somewhat superfluous and wanted more veg! Difficulty rating 5/10.
10 Jan 2013
Golden Chicken, Braised Greens and Potato Gratin
Meal 1- Jan 6th - Golden Chicken, Braised Greens and Potato Gratin
Is it unlucky that my first meal supposedly contains 666 calories? Probably not so I press on (incidentally, in this book Jamie gives detailed nutritional breakdowns on each meal - probably because previous books have received a backlash due to overuse of cream, olive oil and other delicious things).
I turn the dial on the stove and the heat, literally and figuratively, is on. The onions go into the roasting tray. Unfortunately it is a rather battered, non-non-stick (?) tray so requires regular attention to avoid burnage. Chicken and potatoes get prepped. All goes well until by the time I get to the point in the recipe to add the bacon to the chicken, the chicken is already cooked. I remove the chicken from the pan and fry the bacon alone, adding the chicken for the final 30 seconds or so.
To be honest this was all a good few days ago so details are a little hazy, but got it all out on to a plate and it went pretty well. Onions were slightly overcooked (mainly due to lack of non stick tray, but not to any significant detriment to the dish). Chicken was very tender although slightly plain with only rosemary leaves for flavour. Replaced the spinach with savoy cabbage (sorry Jamie) which worked a treat.
Lolz gave it 8/10. My Difficulty factor 7/10. I have used the greens dish as a side for other non-Jamie meals I have made since.
Is it unlucky that my first meal supposedly contains 666 calories? Probably not so I press on (incidentally, in this book Jamie gives detailed nutritional breakdowns on each meal - probably because previous books have received a backlash due to overuse of cream, olive oil and other delicious things).
I turn the dial on the stove and the heat, literally and figuratively, is on. The onions go into the roasting tray. Unfortunately it is a rather battered, non-non-stick (?) tray so requires regular attention to avoid burnage. Chicken and potatoes get prepped. All goes well until by the time I get to the point in the recipe to add the bacon to the chicken, the chicken is already cooked. I remove the chicken from the pan and fry the bacon alone, adding the chicken for the final 30 seconds or so.
To be honest this was all a good few days ago so details are a little hazy, but got it all out on to a plate and it went pretty well. Onions were slightly overcooked (mainly due to lack of non stick tray, but not to any significant detriment to the dish). Chicken was very tender although slightly plain with only rosemary leaves for flavour. Replaced the spinach with savoy cabbage (sorry Jamie) which worked a treat.
Lolz gave it 8/10. My Difficulty factor 7/10. I have used the greens dish as a side for other non-Jamie meals I have made since.
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